“Before I came to Italy to play for Milan in 2007, I saw in the papers that my name was mentioned in connection with some English clubs,” he said in interviews with the Mail on Sunday and Sunday Telegraph.

“I was told Chelsea were interested but my dream was to play with Ronaldo. When Milan called my manager, I wanted to go there to make my dreams of playing with Ronaldo and [Paolo] Maldini come true.

“But one day I knew I would like to come to England because I think the Premier League is the No. 1 in the world. It is very competitive.

“I like the emotion in the English league. You look at the TV and you see the stadium and the fans.

“I have spoken to ‘Willian, [Roberto] Firmino, [Philippe] Coutinho and David Luiz before.

“I think Brazilians can play here. You can mix talent and intelligence and Brazilian players can play here.”

The attacker, who can play either as a centre-forward or on the left, was most heavily linked to Liverpool in November, when Corinthians chairman Roberto Andrade claimed ‘an agreement in principle’ had been reached (via Independent).

These proved to be false, but there’s clearly been some interest on our half.

It’s unsure whether we’ll feel the need to enter the transfer market this window. Klopp has a large squad to work with, but Daniel Sturridge’s persistent injuries, and Firmino and Benteke’s inconsitencies, there’s still questions as to whether our attacking options are sufficient.